Abstract: "This working paper excerpts some passages from my forthcoming book, Imaginary Refuge/Political Anesthesia, (University of Minnesota Press, 2007). In that book I name, define and explore the important features of what I call “inverted quarantine,” a particular type of response to feeling threatened. I have, elsewhere, called inverted quarantine a fatalistic, perverse form of environmental consciousness and action: A person knows enough about environmental hazards to feel threatened, but instead of doing something substantive about it, that is, acting politically, with others, to address the problem, he or she merely tries to buy protection for themselves, individually. The concept of “inverted quarantine” is applicable to certain popular forms of reaction to social issues – suburbanization and retreat to gated communities in response to the problems of the city, crime, racial tensions; home schooling in response to the real or perceived problems of the public education system. In the book, the focus is on inverted quarantine in response to toxic environmental threats. In addition to bottled water and water filters, explored in this working paper, the book also discusses organic food consumption and the marketing of “natural” or “organic” household products. In this working paper, only the most prominent features of the inverted quarantine phenomenon are discussed. Those who wish to see more details in the analysis of the concept are encouraged to read the full work, when it appears in print. A. Sz." Source: Center for Global, International and Regional Studies. U.C. Santa Cruz
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